REVIEW: HaandBryggeriet Odin's Tipple

Most of the time when I talk about pairing beer it's being paired with food. Today, I pair beer and comics. I have been enjoying the hell out of Jason Aaron's current run on Thor. Seriously, the first 11 issues of Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic, and crew is some of the best comics I've read in years. The God Butcher storyline in which three eras of Thors face off against Gorr the god butcher (one of the best villains in recent memory) will go down as one of the most excellent pieces of fiction the character has ever seen. I have grown incredibly incredibly tired of the word epic. It has been overused to the point that it has lost nearly all meaning. But a story that spans the cosmos and eons of Marvel Comics history from the days of Thor as a young godling, to the present day and Thor the Avenger, to the grizzled and weary Thor of the far flung future, King of a ruined Asgard, truly earns it's epic status. It's Tolkien and metal and Jack Kirby all rolled into one. If you have any interest in the character or the movies or just are a fan of a well told story I could not recommend it higher. Today's beer, Odin's Tipple from HaandBryggert is an ale that would warm the heart of Volstagg the Voluminous. An 11% ABV Russian imperial stout from the wilds of Norway. To the beer!

Odin's Tipple oozes out of the bottle as a viscous, inky, midnight black elixir. Not one iota of light is penetrating this completely opaque brew. It's topped by a thick layer of mocha colored head.

The aromas here are in a word: intense. Massive roasty notes of coffee and dark chocolate accent a bready molasses malt center. Hints of licorice lend to the complexity aside rum like booziness and a bit of smoky burnt grain. Intoxicating. And I haven't even taken a sip. 

The flavors of Odin's Tipple are just as intense as the aromas, if not more so. The beer is thick, chewy, viscous, and outlandishly full bodied. Smoky acrid roasted grain gives way to robust flavors of dark chocolate and bitter espresso. All of these outsized flavors are built around a sturdy base of sweet molasses-y malt. On the finish more than a little boozy alcohol heat comes out and lingers on through the sip. 

This beer is something else! Massive, intense, brash, but very delicious. As much as I enjoyed this glass, I imagine a year or two spent in the cellar might turn this beer into something transcendent. An ale fit for the Odinson indeed!

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REVIEW: Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

I hinted the other day that If you knew how Stone handled their odd year limited releases that you might have an idea of what I was going to be taking a look at today. Well, here it is Stone's Imperial Russian Stout again! But this time brewed with copious amounts of espresso. On odd years. Stone tweaks the recipe for their IRS and their Old Guardian Barleywine. For example, this year's Old Guardian was made with smoked malt and oak aged, and in 2011 we had the Belgo Anise IRS (which I remember being pretty tasty!). It's very cool to see Stone really experiment and tweak these recipies. I'm a sucker for a big stout, any beer from stone, and a beer brewed with coffee. If ever a beer was a no brainer, it's this one. To the beer!

REVIEW: Stone Imperial Russian Stout

I missed out on this one last year. Not that I didn't see it around at liquor stores and bottle shops, but for whatever reason, I wasn't feeling in the mood for a giant imperial stout when this hit stores last spring. Stone's IRS comes out every April, which is usually a time when I'm starting to think about pale ales, saison's, and such. Not big hearty stouts. Perhaps this is sort of the same thing I noticed when I talked about Great Divide's Wolfgang. A big hearty doppelbock that came out in June. Sort of counter-programming to all of the lighter spring-summer seasonals on the shelves. But anyway, what we have here, is a 10.6% 60 IBU beast of an imperial stout. Let's get into it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Avery The Czar

Today's beer is the third in Avery's Dictator Series. The first that I looked at, The Maharaja, is one of my favorite beers of all time. The second, The Kaiser, was a delicious Imperial Oktoberfest lager that I enjoyed quite a bit. Go check those old reviews out if you haven't already. Those are some great beers. But all of that brings us to the final beer in the series, The Czar. An 11.1%, 55 IBU, beast of a Russian Imperial Stout. I know I'm excited. To the beer!

REVIEW: Bell's Expedition Stout

While the Sixpoint Diesel I had yesterday sure did hit the spot, It did not quite sate my thirst for stouts. Although, I strongly doubt that could ever happen. I don't think I will ever get to a point where I say, "you know, I think I've had enough stouts." But it is finally legitimately the season for stouts. There's a couple of inches of snow on the ground and we're supposed to get more on Saturday. This weather demands a hearty beer that will stick to your ribs. Enter Bell's Expedition Stout. A 10.5% Russian imperial stout. I can't wait. To the beer!